Style Type #6: Youthful-Playful

Youthful: Innocent, enthusiastic, optimistic. These are all expressions that speak of what it means to be young. And they are also apt descriptions of the Youthful-Playful style archetype.

Sometimes they can be mistaken for the Exuberant-Lively style type. But whereas there can certainly be a little mischief about them, (“…honestly, I didn’t know the cat didn’t like the bathtub!”) unlike the wry mischief associated with high spirited Exuberant Lively style types, theirs is more guileless. Hence, they seem to get away murder.

These people always seem to have a kind of rose-colored-glasses good cheer about them and it gets expressed in their faces. You’ll often find them with – literally – wide set eyes (think, “wide-eyed innocence”), and often round-shaped eyes (unless they have a crossover with the Exuberant type.) When you see dimples – either on someone’s cheeks or just below the outer corners of their eyes, as perfectly demonstrated here with Maggie Gyllenhaal, you know you’re looking at a Youthful type.

They often have a sparkling, high-pitched laugh. Youthfuls tend to be somewhat fearless, often up for an adventure and they know how to enjoy life. These are the people you want to party with or go to an amusement park with.

Let’s look at some more archetypal Youthful-Playful types. One of the defining facial characteristics of this type is a turned up or “button” nose, As we see here on Meg Ryan.

The indomitable Betty White still looks youthful into her 90s. The dimples are a giveaway, as is the adorable shirt adorned with animal images. (Betty is an animal rights activist – a perfect hobby or career for the Youthful type.)

And then there’s Dakota Fanning, who is in fact pretty young, but the round fleshiness seen in her facial structure is something that will likely be a part of her for the rest of her life. (She also has a lot of Angelic, next month’s featured type.)

Styling for a Youthful type will never include anything too serious or severe. It would just go against the grain of who they are. Their accessories will be softer too; nothing too angled or hard.

Even the shoes for a Youthful type echo the roundness in their features, so what you’ll often see is round toed shoes like Mary Janes or flats with little cutouts – or both. Smaller patterns, ruffles, polka dots, checks and bows also speak of this archetype. Their knits include crocheted popcorn stitches and Fair Isle Knits.

So you might be starting to get the idea that you have to tread lightly when styling for this type in order to not go too “cutesy.” You’d be right. Because this style type comes naturally in childhood it’s important to make sure that as you age, regardless of how much youthfulness you have in your features, you don’t go overboard, holding onto certain elements like ruffles or bows when they no longer serve you.

There are many ways to bring sophistication to a Youthful. The yummy popcorn stitch sweater worn with classic accessories (but do note that her glasses are round); the cheery plaid rounded peplum that lightens up the severity of her blue jeans and classic handbag , and an all out Chanel stunner (Chanel is frequently a Youthful – Classic bridge) are all still youthful but very chic.

So how much Youthful-Playful do you have? In Chapter three of Shopping for the Real You there is a quiz that can help you get a handle on how much of each style type you might have. And do join me this month in looking at the Youthful-Playful style type on Facebook.

Here’s to the Youthful Playfulness in all of us!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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